Her therapist better give her a freaking halo
by Flying Thunderbird
Summary: Lauren Tanner always got what she wanted. And everyone knew it. But thankfully letting off some steam by punching a sand bag helped her focus and make better plans for her future. Marty Walsh wanted to put his new pet ahead of her? He could go ahead and do it, but he better not expect her to stay put like a good girl. She was going to find a better coach for herself.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing.**

 **Note: I was just finishing the first draft of my new story – A Payson/Sasha Make it or break it fic – when suddenly this story idea got into my head, and I just had to write it.**

 **This is a one-shot, but if people like it I might continue it one day. I always thought that Lauren could be a fun a deep character to write!**

 **On another note, I will now start writing Part 2 of my Heddara series. Meanwhile I will be posting Part1 of my semi-finished Payson/Austin fic – Part 2 is, for now, on the waiting list. The Payson/Sasha fic I mentioned before will be put on standby for now – it needs a _loooot_ of editing before I'll feel comfortable publishing it, and I'm too pumped up for Heddara to take the time right now.**

 **I Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Part 1

Lauren Tanner always got what she wanted.

And everyone knew it.

* * *

Well, it was more that Lauren Tanner never gave up on getting what she wanted, while others were easily derailed.

And what she wanted was an Olympic Gold Medal. Yes, it deserved capital letters. It was the Olympics after all.

A flimsy slip on her balance beam routine and she was down to fourth place in the gym rankings, and that was not acceptable. At. All.

Not to mention that Marty's new pet project had been the one to pass her, even after falling off on her first vault. Lauren had been tempted to help that scenario take place by messing with the girl's vault distances, but had managed to refrain her impulse. Her therapist would be so _proud_!

But anyway, the girl had fallen all on her own, and that meant a big fat 0 for that vault. How she then managed to pass Lauren, even with the other Vault, she had no idea.

There were so many things wrong with what followed after that she couldn't even name them all.

Just to start, if one person did two Vaults, then the final scores were made from an AVERAGE! This wasn't the 1980's or some lousy junior meet!

Second, you couldn't just do your routines when you very well pleased. There was a time limit on how much time you could take before starting your vault, after the judges gave the green light. Kmetko had been out of it for about fifteen minutes. The meet had already been over when she did her second vault!

And third, how unprofessional could Marty be for ignoring all these rules and take her bronze medal and flowers from her own hands, without so much as a word!

She smelled something fishy. Probably Marty trying to get on someone's good graces or something. Or trying to make the new girl feel welcomed.

Big mistake in her opinion. No one would be giving any favors at nationals. Ellen Beals certainly wouldn't.

She had been so pissed off that she'd had to use the punching bag in her gym at home to let of some steam – or she might have done or said something stupid.

Her therapist was going to build her a freaking shrine if she carried on like this. This saintly behavior better be pilling up good fortune points with karma, or she would be pissed.

The beating she had given the punching bag had helped with her stress and anger, but nothing could make her let go of her fury towards Marty. Since the meet two weeks ago, her coach had been completely ignoring her – more than usual, that was. In twelve gym days he had not even once come to work with her, instead focusing most of his time on trying to get his pet up to speed on all the apparatus.

She had tried asking for help on bringing up her bars difficulty, he had answered they would do it after nationals.

She had asked about a new floor pass. He had said after Nationals.

She asked about a new move on beam, he said after Nationals, and asked her to go to Jake for any other questions she had on her training, since he was busy.

Yeah, busy with her pet. And Kaylie. He never did stop paying attention to her, and if Lauren was interpreting the glances he exchanged with Mrs. Cruz on a daily basis, then things were bad, very bad.

And for God's sake, Nationals were almost five months away! Did he expect her to what, just marinate until then?

Payson was fine. She was the number one and Marty and she had things running. She was in a place where she only needed to work out the kinks in her routines and make them perfect. There was no where she could upgrade that wouldn't hurt her back, so she wasn't feeling their coaches' absence like Lauren was.

Things couldn't go on like this anymore. It seemed like Marty had given up on her ever going anywhere on the national team.

Yes, she had placed eighth last year at nationals, but that the past and she refused to accept that it would have any impact in her future.

She wanted new moves on her weakest apparatus so she could move up on the ranks and become an all-around threat. She wanted new moves on Beam so she could be the best she could be on her favorite apparatus and at the same time use her high scores there to compensate for lower scores in other events.

She wanted to be best in the world.

And Lauren Tanner always got what she wanted.

* * *

It took her a while to find out how to get what she wanted without maiming anyone, or gaining incredible amounts of enemies.

In the end, a simple raid of her father's office had provided the answers she needed.

And that brought her to this piece of dirt road.

Stone and wood house? Check.

Beet up jeep? Check.

Old boots laying on the porch? Check

No one home? Check.

Fishing gear? Nowhere to be found.

Hum, now where was the river?

"Lauren?" Her dad called from the car. "Are you sure about this? Maybe I should go with you."

"Don't worry Daddy! It'll be fine. I want to be the one to talk to him first. I'll come get you when it's time to do your magic!"

She turned around and decided to check out the back of the house. She thought could hear running water coming from that direction.

She had first considered coming alone, but Cambria was very far from Boulder. It would take more than a day to get there by car and she would never get back without her dad noticing she was gone, and as a minor she couldn't go alone by plane.

In the end, she had decided to tell her about her problems with Marty, subtly steering him in the right direction. Her dad had agreed with her proposed solutions, and then had revealed the last piece of the puzzle himself. From there, it had been easy to set things in motion. It had taken a bit of work to let her come along and do the convincing herself, but it hadn't been too hard.

Spying a head of blond hair a few passes ahead, Lauren smirked. Men, they were so predictable.

"I never understood the lure of fishing." She said as soon as she got within two feet of the man, prompting him to turn around. One thing could be said about Belov. He was much more handsome than Marty. Mrs. Cruz didn't know what she was missing. "Pun intended." She added with a smirk.

The man, snorted, before turning back to the gear in front of him. Not wishing to be in a place where he could ignore her, Lauren advanced so she was standing next to him, looking down at the line he was tying on his fishing... rod?

"That looks complicated..." She mumbled.

"What are you doing here, Miss. Tanner?" He asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

She raised an eyebrow at his tone, but shrugged. "I have a business proposition for you, Mr. Belov" She answered in the same tone.

It was his turn to raise his own eyebrow. "I'm not interested."

She snorted. "Really..." She drawled, her face clearly showing her doubts in his statement.

He turned his serious eyes to her. "I have no interest in gymnastics. I haven't for many years." He frowned then, his eyes searching her face. "And you have a club already. With my old friend Marty. Or am I wrong?"

She smiled, shaking her head. "You are not wrong. I do train at the rock with Marty. The thing is, the rock is no longer the right place for me. I need a new coach with new perspectives."

"Not interested." He said simply, looking back at his line.

She rolled her eyes. "You haven't even truly heard what I'm proposing."

This time it was his time to snort. "I can see that you don't fish. If you did you would know that to get what you want, you need the right lure"

She cocked her head "Lure?"

Sasha nodded. "Yes. You see. If Marty had for some reason left the Rock, then I might, just might, be interested. The club team he has built there is quite incredible. But other than that, I think I'll keep being uninterested."

Lauren raised her eyebrow, unimpressed. "Let me destroy all possibilities of that lure ever happening then. Do you wonder why I want to leave the Rock?"

He shrugged. "Why don't you tell me, since you obviously want too."

Her smile was bitter, but she didn't care. "If I had to guess you went to Romania not for the money, but for the conditions the National team offered. All the good gymnasts nicely put on display in a single gym, where they trained and lived, 24/7. Am I right?"

Seeing as he didn't say anything against it, she took his silence and the expression on his face as agreement.

"In the US, things couldn't be more different. That's why you think the Rock is the best place. It reminds you of Romania due to the number of Elite Gymnasts there, and the number of National team members."

Sasha was apparently in a better mood now, because he deigned her with a lifted eyebrow.

"What you don't understand is that _that_ , is exactly why I want to leave."

"Color me surprised. Why exactly is the number of elite gymnasts making you want to leave? It should be pushing you harder."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "In my opinion, Marty Walsh hasn't been my coach in, at least, about two months now." She stated, looking him firmly in the eye.

"Excuse me?" He asked, his voice showing his incredulity.

"That's right. He doesn't supervise my training, he doesn't choose my floor music or my acrobatic sequences. He isn't the one who I have to go to if I want to upgrade my routines. Therefore, he isn't my coach, he is simply _a_ coach at the gym I train at."

Sasha frowned. "Who is your coach, then?"

She shrugged. "Honestly? I don't really know. I guess I get help from the assistant coaches when they have the time. Mostly Jack Larson is the one helping the Elite girls."

"But why?" Sasha sounded befuddled.

Lauren crossed her arms. "The system in Romania worked because it was mostly state funded. Girls progressed from level to level, from gym to gym. There was virtually no mixing between different leveled and experienced athletes. The gym you were at only had the National Team girls, no one else. And you had enough coaching staff to take care of all their training needs, so you had the time to see each girl individually every day. Am I right?"

Sasha nodded, and by the frown on his face, she would bet that he was almost getting to the answers by himself.

"Here, gyms are business. And what brings in the money?"

"Numbers" He mumbled, fishing rod forgotten.

"Exactly. And where do you have the numbers, considering that many girls give up on becoming elite as they grow up?"

"Juniors."

"Right." She nodded to herself. "There are about twenty junior girls at the Rock. Then there are classes for little kids on certain days of the week. And then there are the boys, all ages but most of them around sixteen to eighteen, looking for a college scholarship."

"What the hell?" Sasha said, bewildered.

"The Rock is full of people at all hours. Granted, there is a good number of staff, but it is just not the same. The quality of coaching suffers. And considering no one can add new elements to their routines without Marty's approval, and he has been shooting down everything I say, I've been in limbo for two months."

Sasha blinked. "I still don't get your problems with Marty. Why would he ignore you? You're at the top of his team."

"I've told you. Too many elites. We were seven elites at nationals last year, and it was already a mess. There is a reason why usually only a gymnast per club gets on the national team, sometimes two. It's because clubs don't have more than three elites, tops. Maybe four, if they're pushing it." Seeing him about to interrupt her, she continued. "Why is that? Because there is no chance they would have the means to give them the focus they would need to get them to that level if they had more, while still having the younger girls that bring in the money. So, when a gymnast starts seeing herself be put aside for someone else, she moves to a better place."

"And that is what you are trying to do?"

"Yes, whether it is you or someone else, I will be leaving the Rock by the end of the month." She said.

"Who are you being put aside to? If you only want to move now, something must have changed recently."

She raised her eyebrows. The man was sharp. "Marty found a new pet, a girl he saw at the Y in Fresno. She is good for someone who never had any formal training, but nowhere near the National team level. So, he is using all his time trying to bring her up to what he thinks is acceptable."

He smirked. "Did she beat you?"

She shook her head. "Not under any acceptable rules, she didn't. Marty decided to ignore the big fat zero of her first vault, and her second was made after the awards had already been given away."

He frowned. "I can see why that would make you upset." He twirled his fishing rod absentmindedly. "What about Kaylie and Payson?"

Lauren shook her head. "Marty being occupied leaves Kaylie free to watch her secret boyfriend in peace. And Payson is not looking to upgrade because of her back. She is working on consistency, so she doesn't need him as much."

He looked at her, searching for something.

"You've talked a lot about upgrades. Is that very important to you?"

Lauren snorted. "The world doesn't stop spinning if we stop moving Sasha. I was eight in the all-around last year. I don't intend to repeat that this year. I want to make the podium. And to do that, I need to upgrade. Everywhere."

"The podium huh?" His face turned into a slight smile. "Why do you need to upgrade on beam? You won gold last year.

She smirked. "I knew you still watched!" Seeing him roll his eyes, she pressed on. "I want to upgrade on beam because I _can_. I want to be the best in the world on Beam, not just the best in the US. And upgrading there will cover my lower scores on Bars." She shuddered. Her bars had always been quite terrible.

"You need to watch your pikes. Your losing execution points there."

"You can tell me that again when you're my coach for real." She offered, with a winning smile.

He snorted. "What's the proposal?" He asked, and she smiled for real then, because that meant the he would truly consider her offer.

"Have you ever heard of the Monterey Health Center?" She asked.

He frowned. "Yes. They specialize in post injury recovery. Mainly geared towards athletes, but they take in everyone."

She nodded. "That's right. What you don't know is that the Center is my Dad's Brain Child."

"Really?" He asked, surprise in his voice.

She guessed that it was a natural reaction. The Monterey Health Center had opened just five years before, and had quickly become a well-known institution amongst athletes. It was the best place to recover from injuries, as it had an incredible 90% rate of full recovery. Many other people also sought it out for it possessed in its staff experts on all fields of physical therapy and orthopedics.

Noticing how he shifted his right leg, she guessed that maybe his knowledge was centered on a more personal reason.

"When I was ten I injured my left elbow, and had to have surgery. It's a very delicate area and I needed extensive physiotherapy, so my dad found this place in Germany that specialized in helping athletes. He fell in love with the place and the idea of making something like that in the US wouldn't leave him alone." She smiled. "A couple of years later and the center was created."

"And what does that have to do with the proposal?" He asked.

She resisted the urge to huff. Dam, the man was impatient.

"Most people don't know this, but there are several sports clubs attached to the center. The patients use them for light training during their recoveries, but the clubs have a permanent coaching staff and members form the towns in the area all the way up to Santa Cruz, who pay fees. During the setup of the center my dad had planned to move to Monterrey and get a Gymnastics club going, where I could train. Only he couldn't find someone as good as Marty, and I didn't want to leave because of the friends I had at the Rock. So that gym never opened."

He looked at her, considering what she had said. "But now it will?"

She nodded. "The guy my dad had running the Center wants to go off for a better paying thing. Oh, the center is very financially healthy, but the money the director made doesn't compare to most other private hospitals. The greedy guy leaves, my dad takes over like he initially planned to. If we can get someone to be head coach, my dad already got into contact with several people interested in the other coaching positions. The place itself is ready, but empty of any equipment."

He cocked his head. "How would the gym make money? How would you pay the coaches? You don't want a crowded gym, but without gymnasts, you can't keep it running."

"We would allow local kids to attend on certain days of the week. And we would accept a certain number of elite men and woman. Besides that, for any patient that used the gym, a percentage of their fee would go to the gym itself." She smiled impishly at him. "It will be just like in Romania. Dorms for gymnasts from all over the country and only the most dedicated taking up your time."

He frowned. "Why men?"

She snorted. "Trust me, if a guy gets out of college and truly wants to keep going, then he is in it for the long haul. And for them, if they don't find a gym to accept them, they have to stay at the OTC So there will be a lot of interest on their part." She shrugged. "Plus, they're men. Not hormonal driven, dramatic teenagers. That's a step up from the girls."

He nodded, before frowning. "You seem very sure that athletes will come. How easy could that possibly be?"

She laughed. "You think I would come here with that bad of an offer? Sure, I've never been able to sit still for enough time to enjoy fishing, that's why I'm a gymnast, but I still know business 101."

"Really?" Sasha drawled. "So, who have you managed to entice to this new gym of yours?"

She smirked. "Oh, no one very important. Just Kelly Parker, Andrea Conway, Kyle Duncan and... Austin Tucker"

She managed to keep her snickers in, but just. Sasha looked like a fish out of water. Well he had a good reason. She had just given out the names of last year's national champion on both men and woman's side. Then there was Kyle Duncan, a crazy vaulter well on his way for a world title, and Andrea Conway, the eternal sixth member.

All of them had been relatively easy to convince, but Andrea had been the easiest. On the verge of college, she had been oscillating between accepting one of her scholarship offers, or keep on trying for an Olympic spot. Only, while being a member of the last two world teams, Andrea had never been given an important role on team finals, and never managed to qualify for an individual final. She had been feeling like her coaches couldn't take her any further, but had had no chance to move away due to her parent's jobs. Lauren's offer had been just what she had been needing – a legendary coach and boarding for the price of one.

And how had Lauren known that Andrea was looking for an opportunity like this? Well, she listened, and watched, and at the last National team practice, she had made conversation with the other girl, who had been subtly trying to find out if the Rock had a foster system.

Lauren was a good observer. She had noticed Andrea's wish to move gym's, just like she had noticed Kelly Parker's need for a coach who understood her damn ankle, and Austin Tucker and Kyle Duncan rising unease as their college careers came to an end. Oh, Tucker certainly didn't compete for any university, what with his... _various_ endorsements, but he still used their facilities and staff – how he managed _that_ , she didn't know for certain, but would bet on a mix of his money and his name.

"Seems like we do have something to talk about then, Miss Tanner." Sasha said, finally starting to stash his fishing gear back into its box. "Maybe you should come back with your father soon."

She snorted. "Who do you think got me here in the first place?" She took her phone out of her jeans back pocket, before quickly calling her dad. "Hey dad! You can come out back now! He wants to talk details!"

Sasha shook his head. "As anyone told you that you're a dangerous girl Lauren?"

"Why, thank you!" She said, smiling up at him, her face the picture of innocence.

As her dad came around the house and greeted Sasha, she couldn't help but feel proud of herself. Who would have known what she would have come up with if she had let her frustrations control her? No, this was a much better outcome. Rational, workable, and best of all? It had gotten her the best coach in the freaking world!

Oh, her therapist better give her a _freaking_ halo when she got back.


	2. 2 She should give her therapist a raise

**So, as I write this I'm on a 2:45h train to go to my cousin's bachelorette party. I should be writing "The Queen of Winter", but this AU wouldn't leave my head so... I used the train trip to write this instead!**

 **Thanks to all those who reviewed this story! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I decided to continue this story as a series of on-shots. I have no idea when the next chapter will come out, because I have absolutely nothing planned about it... I guess they will come out as I get inspired, like it just happened with this chapter! If you have ideas, feel free to share them!**

 **So, it has always frustrated me that Lauren is announced on the first episode as an amazing Beamer, but then always seems to fall out of the beam. And Kaylie is the one who wins on Beam?! I mean, WTF? That makes no sense!**

* * *

Part 2 - She should give her therapist a raise

II

Leaving was easier than she had thought.

In the end she had decided to tell her friends and Marty that she was moving for her dad's job and that was that. They had been worried about her training, but she had assured them that her dad had already found her a gym and a coach.

No way in hell was she telling them the real reason why she wanted to move.

Anyway, there had been some tears from Kaylie, frowns from Payson and indifference from the new girl – read pet – before they had thrown her a goodbye party, and that had been that.

Not that Lauren wasn't going to miss her friends. She had stayed up all night the day they had arrived in Monterrey looking at pictures of them in the gym, hanging out or at podiums in different meets, and Lauren was confident enough to admit to having shed a few tears.

But she had also noticed the recurring theme in those photos. Especially the ones taken at meets. She was always to Payson's left.

And that, was not good enough for her. She was done being the third best in her gym. Never reaching the all-around podium. She wanted more. She deserved more.

And if Boulder couldn't give her that, she would get it herself.

It was time for a new life.

* * *

Something that Lauren wouldn't have missed if it had stayed in Boulder? Her father's girlfriend/secretary.

Summer Van Horne should have been named Summer Van Thorne.

The woman wanted to baby her. She butted into her life thinking she needed a mother and expected her to be some innocent naive baby.

And Lauren knew herself. She was anything but innocent or naive.

She was too much like her dad to be like that. She liked to scheme and get her way, and most of the time didn't care what happened to others if they weren't her friends or family.

And that was the biggest issue she had with the – quite possibly – gold digger. She was too uptight, too obsessed with her religion to really accept her dad the way he was. She would bet that the first time her dad did one of his ruthless business takeovers she would run for the hills in righteous horror and indignation, taking half of her inheritance with her.

Her therapist had asked her if she wasn't putting her disappointments in her own mother on Summer, but Lauren disagreed.

If she wanted a mother's advice, she had her grandmother to go to. Claire Tanner was a formidable woman whom Lauren respected and loved. She had always been there for her in ways her mother had never been.

And yes, while Lauren did miss her mom, and would love to have her in her life, she didn't _need_ to have a cheap substitute.

No, Summer Van Thorne was not right for her dad, for the simple reason that they had nothing in common. She should stick to men with the same beliefs – and preferably the same number of zeros in their bank accounts – as her.

"Lauren, it's time for bars!" Sasha's call brought her from her inner rantings, prompting her to leave the floor where she had been warming up and make her way to the bars, where Kelly Parker was furiously nailing routine after routine.

"I want to see three flawless runs, Lauren" Sasha said, with a smile. "It's one week to nationals. Time to show them what you've got"

She nodded, and jumped to grab the low bar, pulling herself up on her least liked apparatus.

The bars had always killed her all-around average. After five months of being drilled by Sasha Belov?

Her bars were freaking awesome.

Well, it wasn't like she would be winning any Bars medals at worlds, but they were good. Even good enough for a Bars medal at Nationals, considering the US weakness on this event. Who would have thought that was possible, when she had left Boulder?

In fact, every single one of her events was spot on. Especially her beam.

She had been inspired by routines from the eighties and nineties and decided to incorporate mounts and dismounts that hadn't been seen in decades. She had the ability to do those moves, and it had always frustrated her that Marty had wanted to go safe and keep them out.

Now, with Sasha, her beam had the highest difficulty value in the whole world and her execution was good enough to match it!

Nationals and worlds couldn't come fast enough!

"Ugh, I swear Tanner, if you lose to any of those Rock idiots this year I'll skin you alive." Kelly said, after they both left the bars and made their way to get water. "If I can't win, at least I want someone who I can stand to do it"

Lauren snorted. "Don't worry Parker. I have no intention of losing"

And that was the truth. When Lauren had started to work with Sasha, she had admitted to the man that she didn't think they had enough time to get her on the same level as Payson and Kelly, but that she wanted at least the all-around bronze.

Sasha had frowned and told her she should never plan for any place but first and put her through a grueling work out.

She had understood what he meant but had secretly and mentally prepared herself to lose against those two powerhouses.

Then Sasha had taken Kelly to the center's orthopedists to see her ankle and everything had changed.

Kelly Parker needed surgery, or her chances of making it to the Olympics were non-existent.

Lauren hid her smirk, as she remembered Kelly's bitch of a mom ranting and screaming in the middle of the gym, and Sasha's stony face. The prognosis had been pretty serious, and in the end, Kelly had been the one to push for the surgery, following the doctors, Sasha's and even Austin Tucker's advice.

Lauren agreed with all their opinions. They were two years away from the Olympics. Missing out on a National Championship was nothing in the grand scheme of things. Especially when you were the current world champion. There was no way the NGO would leave her out of the world team if she showed she was ready.

Anyway, Kelly had taken the surgery, and been on a boot for two months. Sasha had had her training bars non-stop to keep up her focus and stamina, and when the go ahead of the doctors came for Kelly to train freely, she had started to land her bars dismount almost immediately.

Every other apparatus was still too untested to be competition ready, but Lauren had no doubts that Kelly Parker would come out of world championships with a bars National title.

"What do you think about Payson?" She asked, looking over at Kelly.

"I think you've got it." Kelly said.

Andrea nodded, having just come from the vault. "From what you've said, her back is not getting any better. If she hasn't upgraded since you last saw her, then you have it"

It had been a bit weird, but she Kelly and Andrea had become good friends. Seeing each other almost 24/7 did that to a person, and even if she wasn't staying in the dorms like the others, these days she basically only went home to sleep, staying to have dinner with her fellow athletes almost every day.

Austin and Kyle were also cool. In the beginning, they were both visibly amazed at being able to work with their personal idol, and Lauren had thought they were the cutest thing ever.

It was good to have a smaller group of people. With Kelly and Andrea there was no teen drama. Lauren was seventeen to Kelly's and Andrea's eighteen, but they were all very straight forward and were all committed to one thing. London 2012.

Oh, they could appreciate hot guys. They'd had a very serious discussion on who was the hottest guy in the international gymnastics circuit, and Lauren had won in her Austin sponsorship, against Kelly's favorite, the Russian Sergey Simionav and Andrea's Garret McAron from the UK.

She had delighted in teasing Austin the next day and seeing his dumbfounded expression when she had informed him that he could thank her for making sure he was on the top of their 'hottest gymnasts in the world' ranking list.

She and Austin had an interesting thing going on. They got along well and enjoyed teasing each other. Lauren could admit that she liked him and would like to go out with the recent graduate, but now was not the time.

First, winning National and world medals. Then, thinking about hot guys.

Her therapist always made sure she understood the importance of priorities after all.

* * *

She had always made fun of Payson-bot, but after months of going to a therapist, she had finally understood that maybe her old friend had something going on.

Learning different techniques of clearing her head before competitions had certainly helped her.

Especially considering she was number two after the first day of Nationals.

She should give her therapist a raise.

Kelly was number one on bars, Andrea was second on Bars and on beam, where Sasha had raised her degree of difficulty exponentially. Good bars workers were often also good beamers, and Sasha's plans for Andrea were based on making her a double specialist.

Lauren was – like there had ever been any doubt – first on Beam. She was also fourth on Bars after Payson, and third on floor.

If last year she had stepped out of her floor passes, this year she had wowed the crowd with her increased difficulty and a new and very artistic routine. If one thing was true, it was that Lauren Tanner could dance. The problem with her floor passes had been easy enough to solve after Sasha had noticed that she ended up crooked, not doing them in a straight line. As a beamer, that mistake was unforgivable, and she had worked hard to take care of the problem.

And now it was almost over. One routine left, and it was her favorite one!

Payson was up on bars, and was probably already crowning herself number one, but Lauren was not giving up. This was _her_ moment.

Austin and Kyle screamed from the bleachers, waving a banner with a 'Go Andrea, Lauren & Kelly!' and she saluted the judges to start.

Her mount went perfect. A round of to the springboard and her hands were on the beam, propelling her off into an acrobatic series that went all the way to the other side of the beam. The crowd clapped. The connection bonuses she got in her mount alone were crazy, and the happiness she felt at nailing it made her send a smile to the judges.

Off she went in another perfect acrobatic sequence, before going down for her low beam work.

She was just getting up when the crowd screamed before going silent. There some sobs and she could perfectly hear the name 'Payson' being shouted from the other side of the arena.

Lauren steeled herself. This was _her_ moment. She could wonder what had happened later. Now, she had a routine to nail and a gold medal to win.

Her triple turn – a quad turn soon, if she had anything to say about it – was perfect, and so was the double with her leg raised, and the single, that let her travel from one end of the beam to the next.

The jumps were perfect too. Nothing they could deduct, all connections going perfectly.

She nailed the dismount, sticking the landing and raising her arms up to salute the judges.

She gave herself a moment to celebrate, accepting Sasha's hug, before making her way to her teammates.

"What happened?"

Kelly grimaced. "Keeler fell of the bars. Good job in keeping your cool."

"Thanks." She said with a small smile, raising her head to try to look over at the bars were a bunch of medical personnel was busy, covering her view of Payson. God, she hoped her friend would be ok, not only because she loved Pay, but because winning just because Payson was out of the running was not how she wanted her victory to go.

Looking back at the beam, she couldn't help the feeling of victory that came over her, at the big 17.2 in the scoring board, that brought her well above all the rest of the field.

"You think Andrea will be ok?" She asked Kelly, worried that Payson's fall would affect Andrea, who was waiting for the green light to mount the beam.

Kelly shook her head. "Andrea is though. Much tougher than many people think. She will do great."

Lauren nodded, trading a smile with Sasha as he came back to stand beside them.

"Congratulations Lauren. You made it." He said, a proud smile on his face.

She smiled back. It was true. There was no one else who could knock her out of her podium positions. Not even Kaylie who still had her floor routine to go would be able to surpass her. Apparently, Carter watching was not very conductive to one's Olympic ambitions.

No, she had been right to leave Boulder. She had shown them all. At the end of these National Championships she would be first on the All-around, first on beam, third on Bars and second on floor.

"This is just the beginning." She said smiling, before reaching over to fist bump Andrea as she came down from the Beam podium.


	3. Therapist approved

**Here you go! The next part in this story!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Thank you for all the reviews! :)** **They always make me happy.**

 **BTW, I have no idea where this chapter came from. No idea at all.**

* * *

Part 3

III

"And what did you think when all the commotion happened and Payson Keeler fell?" The journalist asked.

"Well, I honestly didn't really pay attention you know" She answered to her phone, as she stirred her coffee while sitting at a pretty promenade in LA, with Austin making faces at her on the other side of the table. "We train to get into our zone, to abstract from the noise of the crowd and the music of the floor routines. If we don't, every time the crowd oohed or ahhed we ran the risk of falling from the apparatus and seriously injuring ourselves. Sacha is very insisten on training us in this, he even puts strange noises in the gym stereo so we get used to ignoring them."

"So, you didn't notice that something was wrong?"

"I guess I did, in a subconscious level, but my training kicked in and kept me going through the commotion. Of course when I came out and noticed what was happening my first thoughts were for Payson and her family. We trained together and are close friends. I hope she can recover."

A few more questions and her phone interview was wrapped up, allowing her to enjoy her coffee.

One year out from the Olympics and the Gymnastics media was starting to pay attention. Nothing incredibly huge, considering it was just some gymnastics magazines and forums, but it was something. And according to her new manager, it was important to get out there now, so people would remember her in the future.

A manager that was most definitely not MJ Martin. The woman had come sniffing around the gym and Austin had just told her and Andrea to sign under his own manager if they ever decided to drop their NCAA eligibility, and avoid the whole Sacha/MJ drama.

Now hadn't that been a good idea?

Therapist approved even.

It had led to her taking four days off for media almost right after Nationals. She wanted that out of the way so she could start focusing on Worlds as soon as possible.

"You finally free?" Austin asked, pulling his sunglasses down just enough to see her over the rim.

She chuckled. "Yes. We can go to the Japanese store now before we have to go to the airport."

"It's not just a Japanese store Tanner!" he cried out, in mock outrage.

She snorted. "Right. It's also Nerd Central" She said rolling her eyes to show she was just joking, before allowing him to put his arm around her shoulders and lead her towards his self proclaimed favorite spot in LA.

Who would have guessed that Austin Tucker would be an Anime fan?

Not her.

Who would have guessed that he would manage to convince her to watch five straight episodes of his new pirate show addiction when they got back to their hotel?

No one in the world, that's who.

Well, her therapist approved of the comic relief it provided, saying it left her in better spirits.

Thank God there where like, 400 episodes of the thing and it wasn't even half way through.

* * *

Secretly she enjoyed the silly cartoons immensely.

Just as much as she enjoyed spending time with Austin watching them.

Even of it was completely platonic time.

They both understood the commitment they would be under for the next months to let themselves fall into something right now.

* * *

Her phone beeped with a text message, prompting her to pick it up from the bench where she had left it while she was getting dressed.

"What's with the messages Tanner?" Kelly asked, pulling her leggings over her leotard.

Lauren smirked, reading the message. "Oh, it's nothing really. Just the verdict from the analysis to Payson's medical files."

Kelly and Andrea blinked, trying to understand what she could mean.

"Wait, what?" Austin asked, coming up behind them.

"I got Payson's file to the back specialist here in the Center. So he could see if there was anything that could be done to help her." She explained, pulling her shirt over her head.

Kelly narrowed her eyes. "Did you sneak her files out of the Hospital? That is something that just screams Tanner to me."

Lauren chuckled. "I was tempted, but no." She said, giving them a wink. "I asked her dad when I went to visit her."

Austin laughed, putting his arm around her as they left the gym. "Good on you, for resisting temptation like that."

Kelly and Andrea shared an exasperated look at their antics.

"So, what's the verdict?" Andrea asked.

"I think we might just get a new Gym mate." Lauren said with a smile.

* * *

Getting Pay's medical file had been a nightmare.

She would have given up, had it been anyone else. But it was Pay, someone Lauren loved and respected enough to go to the trouble of finding convoluted ways of getting her hands on confidential stuff.

First, she had been tempted to just discreetly borrow it for long enough to take pictures of it.

Then, she remembered that no Doctor back in Monterrey would be willing to take those photos as evidence.

Stealing the files could be troublesome for Payson, so she had to convince her parents. Her dad seamed the best option. The man had always been the most rational of the two.

That done, she had quickly forwarded all the information to Monterrey and let the specialists do their job.

Well, they had done a good one. Even if it had taken them a month and a half, before they were certain they could help her friend.

Pay was on the way to recovery. Now it was only a question of what she would do next.

"I want to go back to Boulder." She stated, three weeks after arriving and having a back surgery.

Kelly raised her eyebrow in suspicion. "Can't stand us anymore, Keeler?"

Payson fidgeted uncomfortably. "Uh... It's not that, it's just that I should get back to my family. And training at the Rock."

Lauren rolled her eyes, sharing a glance with Kelly over Payson's head.

Her fellow blonde could give all the excuses she wanted, but Lauren had always been able to read her like a book.

Payson was frustrated with Sacha and his training methods. It was clear for everyone to see. She wanted to get back to her previous level as fast as possible, while Sacha wanted her to take her time so she could focus on her problems in execution and figure out different ways to raise her difficulty scores without risking further injury.

The problem was, being in a gym surrounded by girls who were improving day by day and raising their own levels was making Payson antsy. She saw them train and compared herself to them, and found herself lacking. Especially when she looked at Andrea, who had always ranked bellow her, but was now flurishing under Sacha's tutelage.

Payson was simply a ball of frustration. The fact that she knew that Marty would be all for getting her back into her National standards as soon as possible was not helping things.

Lauren sighed. Not knowing what to do. On one level, she loved Pay, but on another, four senior elites would be starting to push it when a new Junior Elite had just moved into town with her family just to be able to join their gym.

"You can always stay in the dorms with the other girls." She offered, but knew immediately that Payson's mom would never accept it.

Payson shook her head. "My mom doesn't want me to do that. We should stay together" Kim Keeler was big on family staying together, which was awesome, but not always financially possible if one wanted to make it to the top.

"Isn't your dad in Minnesota during the week though?" Kelly asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, but that's because mom didn't want to uproot Becca again." Payson answered, looking uncertain.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Look Keeler. We can't tell you what to do. I have no doubt that Walsh is a good coach, but Sacha is the best and I think his idea for you is the way to go." She shrugged, raising a hand to fix one of her devil horns. "You're the one who needs to decide in the end."

Payson looked at her, searching for advice.

"Why don't you hold off on deciding until we go to Boulder for the next National team training?" She proposed. "You can check in with your family and with Marty in person and see what they think?"

It was the best solution possible. Even though she did think that Sacha was right, and had told Payson so, she couldn't make the other girl's mind for her.

Her therapist should be proud of her for respecting other's people wishes over her own.

Who cared if the fact that she didn't even really know what she wanted in this case?

* * *

Hellen Beals was a Bitch. But she was an executive type Bitch that Lauren could read a mile away. She kept herself and Andrea well out of trouble by making sure they were all smiles and 'Of course Coach Beals, I will do my best!'.

One thing she had noticed the first time she had met the woman a bit more than a year before was that she had a need of reaffirming her authority and status. Lauren had no problem with playing to the woman's insecurities and always made sure to be on good terms with her. The more Beals liked her the better.

There was no way that she could be kept from Worlds when she was the National champion, but Ellen Beals certainly had the power to make the road difficult to travel.

There was no need for it when the mask of a good, innocent girl would keep her on the favorites list.

And Lauren was an expert on playing favorites.

Keeping Andrea in the top of the list was not too hard. That one was a good girl by nature, and with her improved routines, Beals had nothing but compliments to dish out.

"Andrea, your dedication his wonderful. The progress you have accomplished in the last half-year is truly amazing. Keep up the good work!" The National team coordinator said.

"Thank you so much, Coach Beals!" Andrea said with a smile. "I'm so glad you approve of the routines! Should I try to add another element on beam? We shouldn't leave it just for Lauren I hope!"

Beals chuckled along with Andrea, patting her on the shoulder. "That's what I want to hear! I will speak with your coach this afternoon during the coaches meeting. For now, keep training your floor. If we can upgrade your final pass maybe we can have you contributing to team finals there as well."

Well, wasn't Kaylie's face at that interesting? Her former teammate had turned to furiously whisper on Marty's ear, no doubt complaining about how _she_ was supposed to be number three on floor. She snorted. If Kaylie wanted to win, she would have to seriously upgrade in several places. Like, right now.

When Kelly finally petitioned to the Team, Kailie would be dropped in the blink of an eye. So would Kmetko, who was practicing her floor in such a desperate way that it was obvious she was just trying to show off and get Beals' attention.

She rolled her eyes. How pathetic could the girl get.

She refocused on her bars, which were still her worst apparatus, but where she wanted to prove to Beals the most that she could be counted for on a pinch. Sacha had done a good job with her, but there was still more that could be done.

She just hoped Sacha would keep up the good behavior. The man could be hotheaded when he felt that someone was diminishing his, or his athlete's work, and he could get quite reckless.

Hopefully he still remembered the one-hour briefing session she and Kelly had given him on Hellen Beals and the National Committee. They had made sure tape the '10 commandments on dealing with the NC' on his fridge, so they should be fresh in his head.

Pun intended.

Of course.

* * *

"Payson is staying, isn't she?" She asked Sacha as they made their way to their rooms at the Hotel in Boulder.

Sacha nodded, looking serious. "She thinks Marty will get her to where she wants to be faster."

"You don't agree." Andrea said, mater of factly.

"Oh, I agree. I just think that it won't get her anywhere else." He said, holding the elevator door open for them. "You, Lauren and Kelly have upgraded, and will be upgrading again soon. Beals discussed your upgrade on beam with me, she approves."

He sent her a smirk. "How you girls can play her like this while Marty is being plummeted in his own gym, I'll never understand."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Beals never liked Marty. She is using Payson's fall to pull him down. If Kaylie and Kmetko hadn't come out so far down on the ranks I bet they would have mutinied. Lucky them, they realize they need to lick up some boots, not throw them into the mud. Stuff like that would never fly with Beals."

Sacha grimaced. "Anyway, I wouldn't have liked to be in Marty's position. That guy Harrison from Denver is good, but certainly not on Marty's level. But I guess that may actually be good for the Rock gymnasts. Having their coach as National Team Coach would just give him more work and take time away from their own training."

Lauren nodded, agreeing with his assessment.

Andrea fidgeted. "I think Payson is not thinking clearly though. I saw her talking to Beals about petitions. I think she is thinking of petitioning to rejoin the team in France, like Kelly is. And that's just crazy."

Lauren gapped at her.

It was so freaking crazy that she made sure to tell Payson so, the very next day.

* * *

Too bad her friend didn't listen to her.

Two months since that conversation and Andrea had been to China and rocked the Bars, coming second only to the Chinese – so not sixteen – hurricane that was Ghengi Cho. It was a good omen, considering that Wang Fei, another Chinese gymnast was the current World Champion and had to content herself with a bronze.

Lauren hadn't been called to China, but she hadn't been worried. Being Ellen Beals favorite had won her a personal meeting where the woman had reassured her that she would be called for the next meet and that she just wanted her to have time to raise the execution scores of the new elements they had added since Nationals. When she faced the Chinese champion, she should do so with full confidence of her win. And that would be at worlds.

Lauren had been alright with it. Understood the reasons, even, as long as she was selected for the next meet.

Which she was, along with Andrea, Kaylie and Kmetko.

Now, in France, she couldn't help but cringe at Payson's attempts at petitioning for the team. Especially when you compared them to Kelly's.

The truth of the matter was that Kelly was more than ready. Sacha had made sure of it. Her stamina, flexibility and skills were exactly where they were supposed to be. Which for Sacha meant better than before she had surgery.

But Payson… It just wasn't the same level, and you could easily see it.

Lauren shook her head. If Payson wanted to petition so badly, she should have done so at least two weakes after Kelly, so Beals and all the other coaches wouldn't be comparing the two of them. It was not like Pay wasn't National team material – because she was certainly better than Kmetko already – but with Kelly right beside her the message was clear.

Kelly was ready to represent the USA and win. Payson was not.

It didn't surprise her when Kelly came second – behind her, of course – two days later, while Pay went back to Boulder without National Team warmups.

* * *

10 Comandments for dealing with the NC

1- You shall not disagree with Ellen Beals in Public.

2- You shall always call Ellen Beals with the title of 'Coach' and never 'Miss'

3- You shall never trust 'Coach' Hellen Beals' nice girl smile.

4- You shall aproach 'Coach' Ellen Beals every training session for opinions on the girls future upgrades

5- You shall cultivate the NC's head (Garret Young) friendship

6- You shall go to Garret Young imediatly in case of a serious desagreement with 'Coach' Ellen Beals

7- You shall share all possibly sensitive information on 'Coach' Ellen Beals with your gymnasts.

8- You shall not let Ellen Beals games into your head under any circumstance.

9- You shall let your girls take care of the problem, if you want something from 'Coach' Ellen Beals

10- You shall join a box club if you feel like punching Ellen Beals, or otherwise wish her bodily harm.

* * *

 **So, Austin is apparently a closet nerd who likes Anime ;) The one that Lauren ends up watching is called One Piece, and a friend of mine spent an entire philosophy class in high school explaining the whole thing to me, just so he would convince me to watch it. He was successful, obviously, but the extremely slow pace of the show ended up making me give up on it. Most funny thing I ever saw though, so if you're looking for a good laugh, I recommend it!**

 **Again, I have no idea where this came from… it just wrote itself.**


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